It is a sad day in the world of professional wrestling as a former WWE Tag Team Champion and the brother of Roman Reigns has passed away. Matt Anoa’i was better known to wrestling fans around the globe as “Rosey” who wrestled in a couple of different tag teams during his WWE run in the mid-2000s. On Tuesday, it was revealed that the man playfully known as “Super Rosey” died due to congestive heart failure.
Anoa’i was just 47-years-old
According to Wrestling Inc. , Matt “Rosey” Anoa’i died sometime on Monday and it seems as it if may have happened sometime in the evening. A number of friends and family members started commenting on Twitter and Facebook regarding his passing within the last 12 years.
Throughout his career, Rosey was usually a member of a tag team. He started in 3-Minute Warning before shifting to a superhero gimmick and teaming with Shane Helms aka The Hurricane. That team won the WWE Tag Team Championship one time in 2005.
While some outlets have not yet confirmed a cause of death, Sports Keeda is stating that Rosey died due to congestive heart failure on Monday. He was hospitalized a few years ago due to heart issues and an atrial fibrillation.
Rosey is a member of the Anoa’i family which is a famed Samoan group of family members who have been spread throughout wrestling for decades. While he is the brother of Roman Reigns, Rosey is also the son of WWE Hall of Famer Sika who was one-half of the tag team known as the Wild Samoans.
Rosey made his WWE debut in July of 2002, when he appeared with Jamal (the late Umaga) in a tag team known as 3-Minute Warning. They were “hired” to be the enforcers for then Monday Night Raw General Manager Eric Bischoff, and they attacked people when Bischoff decided they had enough time.
Heart wrenching phone calls are not the way to start a day. Tell your loved ones you love them. Let them know!
— Gregory Shane Helms (@ShaneHelmsCom) April 18, 2017
After about a year, Jamal ended up being released from his WWE contract and that left Rosey without a partner, so he was repackaged. Rosey became a “Super Hero In Training” and was partnered with Shane “The Hurricane” Helms as a team and for a number of comedy sketches.
Once a year of his training had passed, Rosey was given a new costume and renamed “Super Rosey” as he became a full-fledged superhero. Together, they teamed regularly and were in a Tag Team Turmoil Match at Backlash in 2005, which they ended up winning and capturing the titles.
The super team held onto the titles throughout the summer before losing them in the fall. Jamal was hired back again in late 2005, and it appeared as if a 3-Minute Warning was coming, but Rosey ended up being released from his contract in March of 2006.
BREAKING: WWE is saddened to learn that Matt Anoa’i, known to WWE fans as Rosey, has passed away. https://t.co/uZljTDULkM
— WWE (@WWE) April 18, 2017
While a number of fans, family members, and friends have offered up their condolences and memories of Rosey, Roman Reigns has not yet commented publicly.
The family of Roman Reigns is a big one and it has extremely long roots in the world of professional wrestling. Those roots span decades and numerous promotions around the world. Somehow or another, it always seems as if someone is related to that family in some form or another, but they lost a kind soul on Monday with Rosey’s death. Matt Anoa’i will be remembered for his time in 3-Minute Warning and as a superhero to fans, but his family and friends will remember him for many other reasons.
[Featured Image by WWE]
